EKUECHI FESTIVAL
Among the people of the ebira(also ebirra, or igbira) ethnic group in kogi state Nigeria, ancient traditional practice have remained key aspects of everyday living despite the spread of Islam and Christianity across the length and breath of Nigeria at the expense of local religions.
Ekuechi festival is held mainly in celebration of the ancestral spirits (Ekuechi) who are said to descend from the realm of the supernatural during the celebrations. The festivals name translates literally from the ebira dialect as the descent ancestors.
Ekuechi festival lasts over a month, beginning around November and continuing into the new year. The festival holds across several communities with shared customs and native practicesand commonly involve traditional songs and dances and masquerades display and ritualistic displays which visitors may find a bit eerie.
The conduct of the annual Ekuechi festival is one of the most important responsibilities of the ebira's ireba Ekuechi masquerade cult whose priest have to consult local oracles in order to ascertain the exact date on which proceedings are to begin.
As with other practice in some traditional African societies, Ekuechi festival is slightly prejudiced towards to female gender. Ebira festival according to oral tradition, the Ekuechi cult, which prohibits the enlistment of women as members, was established at the instruction of the gods to help the male folk who had, hitherto, suffered from the unlimited powers wielded by women in the practice of witchcraft. It is said that at the beginning of time, the first woman kept a bag of supernatural secrets handed down by the maker for herself, instead of handling it over to her husband as instructed. Since then the legend goes, women became all powerful, and more than a few used their powers to the detriment of men. The Ekuechi cult was thus established as a balancing force between the genders, and every year the Ekuechi, asquerades (spirit of the ancestors) descend to punish erring women.
Celebration is an important aspect of a rich cultural heritage, thanks for reading my blog please follow me @theob for more thank you and have a bless day.